Dan

Betzer

CBN.com -- On our last trip to Israel, I stood in Caesarea in the room believed to be the place where the Apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa II. You may remember that Roman Governor Festus had brought Paul before the King to attempt to find some charge against him before sending him to Rome to appear before Emperor Nero.

Acts 25 and 26 tell the dramatic story of the encounter with King Agrippa. Using logic charged with passion, Paul told the very bright king about his early attempts to eradicate the followers of Christ. Then, en route to Damascus to arrest even more of those followers, he, Paul, met Christ in a most dramatic episode.

He told the King that Jesus had commissioned him to take the Gospel to the gentile world. And, he added, “I have never been disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Paul said, “King Agrippa, I know that you are familiar with the scriptures.” To which the King replied, “Paul, almost you persuade me to be a Christian.”

Almost! Fatal word! Long ago, Philip Bliss wrote one of the most haunting verses to a hymn ever penned: “Almost persuaded / harvest is past! Almost persuaded / doom comes at last. Almost cannot avail / almost is but to fail. Sad, sad that bitter wail / Almost but lost.”

The destruction of Israel by Rome was just around the historical corner. Agrippa would retire to Rome where he died in the year 100 A.D. From that point on he was lost to history, but not to eternity.

Standing before God, the King would have to remember that fateful day in Caesarea when he came close, so close, to finding Christ as Lord and Savior.

Used with permission by author, Dan Betzer. Previously published on ByLine OnLine, copyright © 2005 Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God.

CBN.com -- These daily ByLines reach people around the world through radio, television, and the Internet. Several weeks ago, our TV crew and I spent two days taping ByLine programs in Washington, D.C. The National Parks Department gave us permission to tape at Mount Vernon--one of my favorite spots on this planet, Ford's Theater, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the White House, and other key venues in our nation's capitol. Every American should spend time in this great city.

Despite having been in Washington, D.C., many times, I spent considerable effort in researching each site before our taping. Each place filled me with great joy and pride at being an American. My friend, it is no secret that we have many flaws in our society, but I have been to 60 nations and it is my opinion that no place -- at least where I have been -- even comes close to the United States.

This statement is in no way a put-down of these other nations. They were a delight to me, but I thank God for the United States. Thank God for our leaders. Do you know that the Bible commands us to pray for those in authority over us? Yes, I know that there are some folks who have real problems with authority. That is their flaw, not America's.

Whether local, state or national, Christians need to pray for our leaders. It is easy to criticize; many make their living at it while others just do it for free. How would you live if you walked in the shoes of those who must make such crucial decisions day after day? God bless them, every single one. Again, thank God for America!

Used with permission by author, Dan Betzer. Previously published on ByLine OnLine, copyright © 2005 Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God.

CBN.com -- Early in the 20th century the White Star Company set out to construct the world’s largest ship. Its proposed measurements were stunning, especially for that time: 900 feet long and 11 stories high. Further, the company announced a breakthrough in steamship design.

This ship would have 16 watertight compartments and a double bottom. No doubt about it, this ship, the Titanic, would be unsinkable. Yet on April 15, 1912, just 4 days, 17 hours, and 35 minutes later, the “unsinkable” Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank into two miles of ice-cold water.

A total of 1512 passengers perished. It is an interesting sidebar to this well-known story that a freighter, the California, was only 10 miles away. The crew actually saw eight distress flares fired from the sinking ship, but they did not respond. They figured the flares were set off in some kind of celebration on the Titanic.

For some reason, that story from history reminds me of the destruction of Sodom.

Abraham’s nephew Lot, a resident of the ill-fated city, had been warned by heavenly messengers to get out. He tried to warn friends and family. They laughed at him for his strange “distress flares.”

Why? Because the life that Lot lived was so little different from their own they couldn’t understand why God would save HIM if, indeed, there were divine destruction coming. They responded, “Lot, you’re mocking us!”

It was tragic that the city was destroyed, but even more tragic perhaps that some who could have been rescued were not rescued because of the poor example God’s man in the city had set. It makes one think about one’s own life today, doesn’t it?

Used with permission by author, Dan Betzer. Previously published on ByLine OnLine, copyright © 2005 Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God.

CBN.com -- I believe that I can count the number of times that I have not been in church on a Sunday on the fingers of my hands and toes of my feet. That is over a spread of 65 years.

My parents believed in never missing church. We would make the 30 mile drive, often over snow-covered northern Iowa gravel roads, in our '32 Chevy. The Betzers would be in church on Sunday; you could count on it. I have followed that practice all my life; yes, even during vacations. When I had to miss church recently due to severe illness, I felt like a fish out of water.

You may ask, "Well, wasn't it a reprieve?" No, I missed it terribly. I do not go to church because I have to go but rather because I want to go. I love the singing, the great choir, and the orchestra. I miss the imparting of God's Word. I love the fellowship with the people. We laugh together and sometimes we weep. We have built orphanages, schools, and churches around the world together.

This week, 65 of our young people flew to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they will work in villages that would scare most people half to death. Most of the people that they will help are HIV positive.

The church folks I associate with are positive, loving, kind, hard-working, and innovative people. I think that they are the salt of the earth. But then, that is what Jesus commanded us to be. So, my friend, I am glad to be feeling better because, like David of old, I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the House of the Lord!"

Used with permission by author, Dan Betzer. Previously published on ByLine OnLine, copyright © 2005 Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God.

CBN.com -- Last August Hurricane Charley hit our town hard. Our church building alone had more than a million dollars of damage. Many good folks lost everything they had. My wife and I were so grateful that our house came through the storm without a hitch.

We were in for a shock the other day. We were preparing to remodel our master bedroom. Everything had to be removed -- the furniture, carpets, and drapes.

That’s when we learned the rest of the story. When the valances were taken down, we found that one end of the bedroom, an outside corner, had sustained some pretty good damage from water. Apparently, the 100-mile-per-hour winds had raised the shingles enough to let water seep inside the walls and the damage was undetected all these months.

No, the damage is not heavy, but it will have to be repaired. My goodness, that wood rot was lurking in our room all these months, hidden by the drapes.

The spiritual application here is evident. How much stuff gets hidden, we think, in our lives that God knows is there all the time -- the hidden motivations, the unspoken (though often-thought) words, the bitterness and anger, the resentments from so many past factors of our lives?

We have them all covered so carefully. Then something happens and the curtains get opened and the light of conscience, the light of Scripture, or some other illumination hits the wood rot. The question then becomes, what do we do about it?

Do we get the repair done? At whatever cost or inconvenience? Or do we threaten our entire lives with ever-developing mold? Now, what’s the name of that shingle guy?

Used with permission by author, Dan Betzer. Previously published on ByLine OnLine, copyright © 2005 Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God.